Forestland parcelization in the New York City watershed

Abstract

New York City's (NYC) water supply system is the largest unfiltered surface storage and supply system in the country. Forests cover 89 percent of the Catskill/Delaware systems, with 75 percent of the forest area owned by non-industrial private forestland (NIPF) owners. The results describe the degree of parcelization on private forestlands in four of the five counties within the Catskill/Delaware systems of the NYC Watershed between 1984 and 2000. Parcelization on NIPF in the eastern half of the Catskill/Delaware systems is occurring at a rate exceeding the national average. The average parcel size is 14 acres, 10 acres below the current national average for NIPF, and already below the projected national NIPF average parcel size of 17 acres for 2010. Changes in land use and development on private lands threaten the quality of the NYC water supply.